A Dangerous Patnership
by Alviarin
Summary: Sequel to 'A Violent Rebirthing'. Weiss runs into SPR on an operation. Rated M for gore, violence, and mild M/M slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **A/N:** This is my first ever crossover. I started it then thought about how Aya got his powers and realized it was a story I needed to write. It's called _A Violent Rebirthing._ Check it out if you're so inclined. It is not a prerequisite for reading this story. I wrote it to tell the story of how Aya got his psychic abilities. Also why he and Youji are together...did I mention this fic was part slash? Well it is. No sex bits in this one.

"Can someone explain to me again why we're in a big, creepy haunted mansion that has no usable blueprints and eats people?" Mai sighed. "I mean the last time wasn't bad enough." She rolled her eyes and huffed. "I mean, seriously.

"We are here because we have a job to do." Kazuya replied. "If you're scared then go home and study. The more knowledge you have, the less of a scared buffoon you'll be." She wrinkled her nose at his back, buffoon indeed. She might not be the smartest teenage girl in the world, but she wasn't as stupid as he seemed to think. It wasn't smarts that made you unafraid of houses like this. It was stupidity and he might think she was stupid, but she was at least smart enough to recognize a dangerous situation when she was in one and being in this house was definitely dangerous

If he didn't want to hear her complain then fine. Mai would shut up. She returned to her normal task of setting up the shelves for the video monitors. She understood that her boss was a little full of himself sometimes, but not why. Besides the fact that he had a right to be. He was intelligent, handsome, talented, and the CEO of a company he had created at the age of seventeen. "Stop day dreaming and get back to work." Mai threw a glare at him, big jerk, she thought unkindly then pushed him out of her thoughts to focus on the task at hand.

In a couple hours they had everything in their base set up. The video monitors were lined up on the shelves with a table in front of them with the monitoring equipment on it. This was where Lin sat to view the screens. Of which only about half were up and running. The cameras and microphones for the others still needed to be set up. Kazuya would probably order her to do that menial task.

They had only the most basic layout of the building. So he would have her set up the rooms they knew of first. John and Bou-san would be with her to take room measurements and temperature readings of every room as she set up. To her surprise, Kazuya actually came along. So did Lin. They said that they were making a map. Perhaps they were taking this place more seriously.

"Let's make sure to be back before nightfall." Kazuya stated grimly as they headed out the door. They were done in about three hours. It would have taken her twice as long if she was by herself. As they were walking back to base a noise made her turn. A black, human shaped form crossed the hall and disappeared into the shadows. She stood there frozen and praying that it hadn't seen her. She really didn't want to die. Especially because her boss liked to take her into houses that people tended in which to meet their demise. Normally she'd never have come in here. _Especially_ knowing what she knew.

A hand on her shoulder startled her enough to scream and turn around. "Oh, Bou-san." She gasped in relief, throwing her arms around his middle as he laughed. After a moment she pulled away. "Did you see it?"

"See what?" He frowned.

"That man shaped thing. It went down that way." She turned to point and found a wall where there had just been a hallway. "I hate this house already." She groaned.

Ken swore as he raced through the rapidly changing corridors. He'd gotten separated from Aya and now he couldn't find Youji or Omi. As he rounded a corner he ran full tilt into a solid body, which knocked him on his ass. Hopefully it was one of his friends. One of which stood out in his now muddled mind. "Abys-" He sat up and found himself staring into the dark blue eyes of someone definitely not Aya. "Shit." He groaned, getting to his feet. His team were supposed to be the only people here, right?

"Ghosts aren't solid right?" A young girl with light brown hair asked. The guy he had run into shook his head; irritation evident on his face. "Which means that you aren't a ghost." She said to Ken. She was standing next to the teen he'd ran into. Behind them was a tall man with dirty blonde hair and another teen with blonde hair and blue eyes, who reminded him a lot of two of the men he was looking for. Two women, one young and one approximately in her thirties came around the corner at a run. They all looked vaguely familiar.

"Uh, no." Ken stared at the teen like she'd gone as crazy as the house. Sensing a presence behind him he spun to find a tall, strike that, a very tall man in a suit with black hair that hung over one eye. He took a step back. The man's eyes reminded him of the ones the man he was looking for owned, only not as deadly. "Why, are you guys looking for one?" He looked back at the girl who had helped the young man he'd run into off the ground.

"Who are you?" The blue eyed teen asked. "What are you doing here?"

"First question I can't answer." Ken replied with a grin. "As for the second, would you believe I'm lost?"

"No."

"Fair enough." Ken shrugged. "I got separated from my fr-" Suddenly the wall in front of him spun throwing a stunned Youji and Omi to the floor in front of him. "Never mind, I found em. Hey guys." Omi slowly got to his feet and looked around at all the people.

"So that's where all the cameras came from." He sighed. "I was wondering, since they weren't there when we walked through yesterday."

"You guys seen A- uh well our other friend?" Ken glanced sideways at the other group.

"You lost him _again_?!" Omi gasped, obviously worried.

"Its not my fault!" The brunette whined. "He keeps taking off when my back is turned. Its really rather annoying."

"He might have been eaten by the ghosts." The teen girl in front of them said quietly.

"Ghosts?!" Omi's eyes went wide.

"Stop that, we already knew there was at least one." Youji sighed. "I don't think playing innocent will work with this crowd."

"You would be correct." The teen Ken ran into said quietly his blue eyes eyeing each of them carefully. "You aren't ghost hunters so what are you people dong here?"

"We're investigating the disappearances." Omi replied with a small shrug. "A different group that belonged to our organization went missing a few weeks ago while they were investigating this place."

"Your organization?" The teen's eyebrow raised slightly.

"HPRS. Hayabusa Paranormal Research Society." Omi used their cover story. "I assume you're from SPR. We were told that you would more than likely be here." Ken slapped his forehead. Now he knew why they seemed so familiar. He had read they're dossiers. The teen he had run into was Kazuya Shibuya. The seventeen year old owner and CEO of Shibuya Psychic Research. The tall man was his assistant Lin Kyoujo and the girl next to him was his part time employee Mai Taniyama.

If he hadn't been so worried about Aya he would have figured it out sooner. The others weren't Kazuya's employees, but were close associates. The tall blonde was the monk, Houshou Takigawa. The red haired woman was the Miko, Ayako Matsuzaki and the teen standing next to her was Masako Hara, the famous teen TV psychic.

"Ah, yes. I was told that there another group had been hired, but where is your equipment?" Kazuya frowned.

"We aren't monitoring the activity here yet. Right now we're just trying to find the other group that was sent in." Omi responded.

"Well, we did misplace a redhead." Youji glared at Ken who glared back.

" _He. Took. Off_." Ken stressed each word. He hadn't lost Aya on purpose. "What part of that do you not understand?"

"The part where you didn't follow him." Youji shot back.

"Guys please. Standing around yelling at each other isn't going to find him." Omi got in between them holding up his hands.

"If anything happens to him I'm going to kill you Hidaka." Youji growled.

"We'll find your boyfriend Kudou, so don't get your pant-" The rest of his comment ended in a grunt as Youji's fist smashed into his jaw sending him to the floor yet again.

"Youji!" Omi cried, forgetting to use code names. Oh well, it wasn't like SPR was in the same business as them so protecting identities wasn't so important. Ken spat blood and glared up at the tall blonde.

"Do you have any idea what the thing here does to people Ken?" Youji hissed. "You would if you had actually read the brief Omi gave you instead of playing that damn video game."

"I read it Youji, I'm just more afraid of Fujimiya than I am of a house that eats people, and if the house has him its gonna learn fast just how fucking dangerous _he_ is." Ken growled getting up. Youji stared at him then burst out laughing.

"My God, you're right. What the hell was I so worried about?" He shook his head. "Knowing him he'll come waltzing up any second telling us that the house is about to blow." At the sound of running footsteps they looked up, but no one was moving. The footsteps passed overhead then back through the walls and then there was the sound of children laughing. "What the-"

"Its starting. We should head back to our base. We'll find your friend later, if he's not dead already." Kazuya beckoned them to follow. The three assassins looked at each other then followed. They were in over their heads with this one and they knew it.

Aya stared at the bloody disembodied head floating in front of him with a frown. Was this supposed to scare him? He walked right through it with a sigh. He should never have allowed Kritiker to force him into being part of this stupid arrangement. So what if he was psychic or the host for that TDB thing? It wasn't by choice and he didn't need the extra attention, but no, the 'Powers That Be' wanted him to kill evil ghosts with his mind. Because there were _so_ few criminals left in the world that they had to focus on ghosts now.

He rolled his eyes irritably as another apparition came at him. He saw scarier images in his dreams and what was so frightening about a transparent bloody corpse crawling across the floor towards him anyway? Maybe he was desensitized by what he did for a living. He just stepped over it and continued walking. When he found Youji he was going to kick the damn blonde's ass. It was _his_ fault they were in this mess in the first place...well _technically_ it was his own feelings that had gotten him into this mess, but it felt better to blame the blonde.

This _particular_ mess was Kritiker's fault. They had sent an experimental team of psychics in to assess and deal with the situation. When they had failed to report in; Kritiker had called Aya. They had asked him and his team to both ascertain what had happened to the initial group sent in and to make sure the house was neutralized should there be paranormal activity.

He already knew that first team was dead. They hadn't had a lot of experience or training; plus a lot of psychics made the mistake of trying to sympathize with the spirit. Aya was not one of them. The redhead honestly didn't care if the spirit of Tom, Dick, or Harry got enough hugs as a child or if Mary was yearning for her dead lover. His job was to kill people. Plain and simple. It left little room for being emotional. The swordsman only cared about how _one_ person felt and that person was Youji.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Mai watched the three men they'd found in the hallway out of the corner of her eye. The tallest one, Youji, was watching the monitors for any sign of his friend. The brunette had introduced himself as Ken and the teen as Omi. The two of them were deep in conversation with her boss, but turned immediately when they heard their friend exclaim excitedly. "Aya!" He pointed to one of the top screens. "Which room is that?" Mai walked over and peered up at it to see a man in a long black coat with the hood pulled up standing with his back to the camera. He was rifling through some papers on a desk.

"That's the second study we found. So 'Study 2'." She then sighed in frustration. "Study number two is on the _other_ side of the house. I don't know-" She stopped, her eyes widening, as a bloodied creature began rising from the ground behind the man on screen.

"Shit, there's no way we can get there in time." Bou-san swore.

"He'll be fine." Youji chuckled. Mai wasn't so sure, so she watched in horror as the thing reached up to grab at the man's ankle. Youji put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Just watch." Aya, who she assumed was the man on screen, turned his head slightly then stomped a heavy boot on the creature's wrist. Youji snorted as it shrieked and disappeared.

"Interesting." Kazuya said quietly. His blue eyes were fixed on the man dressed in all black as he went back to the papers on the desk. The screen suddenly fuzzed and when it came back on Aya was gone. He entered the screen on a monitor just below the one he had been on.

"Dining room 2." Mai said quietly knowing that they would ask.

"How close?" Youji asked.

"Um, its just down the hall from the study he was in; so it's still on the other side of the house." She frowned as she watched. Aya was keeping his back to the camera as he moved through the room, which wasn't good since the cameras were set up so that they would show as much of the space surrounding them as possible. If he kept that up he was leaving himself open to attack.

"We need to get him and bring him here." Kazuya sighed. "It's only going to get worse as the night goes on." He turned to Lin. "I need you to monitor his movement and report it to me. Mai, Takigawa, you two know the layout better than I do so you're with me. Let's go."

"I'm coming with you." Youji tore his eyes from the screen. "He doesn't really listen to strangers."

"Don't kid yourself Kudou." Ken snorted. "He doesn't listen to _anybody_." Youji just glared at him.

"I believe that the three of you should stay here." Kazuya was all business. "We are trained to handle what's out there. I get the impression that you aren't." The taller man nodded in concession. Her boss turned to Ayako. "I want you, John, and Hara-san to take a radio and go the opposite direction that we go. Lin will watch our progress and tell us where to go."

"I'm not staying here." Youji drew himself to his full height, which was considerable, and glared at Kazuya. Mai didn't like the look in his eyes, it reminded her too much of Lin.

"Youji, let's just do as he says." Omi put a hand on the older man's arm. "We're out of our element here. Bad guys we can't even touch scare me." He licked his lips nervously. "I'd feel safer if you were here." Youji eyed him for a moment before sighing and walking back to the monitors.

"We can give him the radio to talk to you when we find him." Mai offered brightly, The idea just occurring to her. Youji turned and smiled making her heart flutter. She blushed, turning away quickly. Kazuya noticed and raised an eyebrow at her before shaking his head.

"Come on, before he gets himself killed." He sighed. Mai nodded then the six of them left the room. Once in the hallway they split up. Mai would have felt safer with them all staying together, but it would take longer to find him and they didn't have a lot of time. Plus he kept moving from room to room and didn't always stay on camera. She sighed. Mai really didn't want to be out of the base, but she also wanted to do what she could to keep someone else from dying. She grabbed Kazuya's hand in fright as an eerie mist appeared ahead of them. He gave her that look that said she was being stupid, but didn't let go, for which she was grateful. Being able to hold his hand helped to calm her.

Aya stepped out into the hall and cocked his head. He could hear footsteps and voices that didn't belong to the spirits or the men he'd come with. There were three. One was too young and definitely a girl while the other two just weren't familiar. He carefully kept to the shadows as they passed by and headed into the room he'd just exited. They quickly came back out and began looking up and down the hall. "Where is he now Lin?" The shorter male asked speaking into a radio.

"He is not on any of the monitors." Came the tinny reply. "Kudou-san says to try calling his name." Aya bristled hearing his friend's name. These people had his friends?

"I don't-"

"Aya-san!" The girl called, looking around. "Your friends are safe, they're at our base. Hello!" Aya moved back further into the shadows and assessed the situation. These people had a 'base', which probably meant they were from some kind of expedition. There wasn't anything sinister coming off them, but why were _they_ out here...without Youji? He frowned. They better not have done anything to his friend.

Since he wasn't getting answers that he liked from his own brain he decided to follow the people he now recognized from the dossiers he had perused before the mission. He didn't recall much. Just that they were ghost hunters or whatever; he honestly hadn't really read the files. All he needed to know was what they'd be facing and what he needed to do. Everything else was irrelevant.

The people from SPR were walking down the halls calling his name and it _not_ his code name either, which made him more than a little uneasy. He kept to the shadows as he followed them. The spirits were remaining quiet. Except for a few apparitions and half manifestations. Some might not consider that quiet, but compared to what they usually got up to it was practically serene.

At an intersection of hallways the people he was following met a group of three. Two women and a man. He narrowed his eyes, not all that pleased that there was now six. How many had Youji? It had to be more than one. A teen girl that looked even more familiar than the others looked up into his general direction. He knew she couldn't see him...not physically.

"I sense something." She said quietly.

"What?" The girl who had known his name asked worriedly.

"I can not be sure, but I do not think that it has good intentions." She raised a hand covered by the sleeve of her kimono to her nose. "I smell blood." Aya's lips curled, another psychic, just what he needed. Her face paled as she sensed his rising ire. "I do believe remaining here would be dangerous." She looked at the teen who headed SPR, Aya couldn't remember his name. He was the calmest of the group and he nodded assent.

"We have done what we can. Those guys' friend is on his own." He folded his arms. "I get the feeling that they knew about the house before coming so he will only be a victim of his own stupidity." Aya raised a brow. Guys? Plural? As in more than one? Did that mean Ken and Omi were also there? How many were there and how had they captured his friends? The swordsman shook his head. Asking himself these questions was pointless.

He followed the group down the hall, wishing he had paid better attention to the pre-mission briefing, as well as the included dossiers. He didn't know these people or why they were here, but if they had harmed one hair on Youji's head; he would kill them.

Mai pulled Kazuya into the room then slammed the door shut. They had started running only moments before because Masako had sensed an increase in the Spirit activity...well _that_ and the other danger. The one she couldn't fully sense, but that had a deadly intent. "Where-" Youji began. Kazuya shook his head quickly then turned to face the door. Masako grabbed his arm.

"Its coming!" She screamed. Bou-san pulled Mai behind him and began chanting as the door flew inward. She peeked out from behind him and seeing the figure she'd seen earlier she gasped. The creature was about the same height as her boss and wore a long black coat. A hood was pulled up over its head that put its face in shadow. Her shock was completed when she heard the three men they'd rescued laughing.

"Looks like you found him after all." Ken chuckled.

"Aya, dear, you're scaring the children, turn it down a notch." Youji snorted with amusement walking up to the figure. She watched a gloved hand come up and suddenly Youji was pinned against the wall. "Uh, Aya, now is not the-oof." Youji grunted as a knee went into his gut.

"I don't know if I want to kill you now or wait until we get home." A deep rough voice growled.

"What did _I_ do?" Youji whined, grabbing his stomach as the person let go and pulled off his hood, revealing beautiful red hair. Mai gasped as he turned around to face them. He was positively gorgeous. More so even than her narcissistic boss. His cold violet eyes moved from one face in their group to another. Masako began to shake uncontrollably.

"Blood." She whispered. "So much blood." Aya's eyes moved to her and she screamed burying her face in Kazuya's chest. The teen psychic was obviously frightened by something and Kazuya surprised, probably everyone besides their new acquaintances, by putting his arm around her quivering form.

"Aya." Youji said gently, placing a hand on his arm. He began speaking quietly to the redhead as he pulled him to another corner of the room. After a while Masako began to relax.

"What the hell is going on?" Bou-san growled. "She's never reacted that way to a spirit."

"I'm so sorry." Omi cried, bowing deeply. He glanced back at Aya who was glaring balefully at him. "Aya-san doesn't have the best control over his temper."

"Tch." The redhead looked away.

"He was just fearing for our safety." Omi continued, still bowing deeply.

"Why are you apologizing for him?" Ken growled irritably glaring at Aya. "He should be the one-"

"I refuse." Aya's quiet voice cut him off mid sentence. He glided over to Omi and pulled him out of his bow.

"Aya-san." Omi sighed. Masako began to shake again.

"Aya cut it out!" Youji snapped. "Did you not hear a word I just said?"

"I heard, I just don't care." Aya replied. He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them Masako had relaxed again. She peeked out at him from behind Kazuya's arm.

"You are psychic?" She asked curiously. Everyone turned to stare at Aya in shock except his three friends. "I have been sensing your irritation rather then spirits since we got here." She moved out from under Kazuya's arm and approached the redhead cautiously. "You're much stronger than I am." She reached a hand towards him then pulled back with a small cry of alarm. Aya hadn't moved but his three friends were glaring at his back.

"Aya, will you cut it out already." Youji grabbed his arm. "These people aren't our enemies."

"You don't belong there." Aya growled at the now quivering Masako. Mai went over to her and glared up at him.

"Be nice." She snapped, her fear being over ridden by irritation. She and Hara-san didn't get along that well, but Mai didn't like bullies.

"So much blood." Masako whispered holding on to Mai and shaking in fear and suddenly she cold see it too. Blood soaking the man in front of her, dripping from his hands and clothes, covering his face, his hair...she closed her and turned away. She didn't want to see anymore. When she looked back up at him a few seconds later it was gone and Aya had a smirk on his lips. She didn't normally have visions when awake so had he sent that to her? She pulled Masako over so that they were behind Kazuya. She really didn't like the nice people's friend.

Aya felt the collective animosity towards him and mentally rolled his eyes before walking to the door. "Where do you think you're going?" Youji growled grabbing his arm.

"I have out stayed my welcome." Aya replied jabbing him in the chest with one gloved finger. "Also, I have a job to do. You know what happens if I don't." Youji bit his lip rubbing his chest. "The only way I will find it is at night when it is most active."

"And how do you plan to get rid of it without an exorcist?" The blonde monk asked. "Glare it to death?" His irritation was evident, not that Aya cared, but he wondered what Omi had told the group about why they were there. It was obvious that it hadn't been enough. The question was now if he should show these people or not. He still didn't have the best control. Mostly his new abilities listened, but when he was mad; his irritation tended to leak a little bit. Other psychics were more sensitive to it than normal people.

He glanced around and opened his senses a bit. As upset as the group was they weren't going to let him out of the room. So the only way he was going to get out of the room was to either kill them or show them that he could handle himself. Youji would be upset if he chose the first way so he let out a little huff of irritation. Aya then held out his hand with the palm up and closed his eyes. Focusing his will and commanded a flame to appear in his hand. Instead of a merry orange it was as violet as his eyes. It was part of the Trans-dimensional Being or 'TDB' inside him...at least that was how it had been explained. It didn't matter. All he cared was that the flames burnt those creatures to a crisp and that was all he needed to know. He wasn't really the curious type.

"That's impossible!" The priestess cried. Aya opened his eyes. Both she and the monk were staring at him in shock. The whole SPR group was surprised actually, but those two knew something about his power that he didn't. Not that it mattered to him. They were in a position to know about such things and he could have researched it if he wanted. He just wasn't all that interested.

He shrugged and let the flame go away. He was about to drop his hand and request the people barring the door to move when all of the sudden the room began to shake and inhuman screams surrounded it. Aya spun, putting his hand to the wall. Purple fire raced out from it in all directions until the entire room was covered then it disappeared. He turned to Youji.

"Do _not_ leave this room." He hissed grabbing the taller man's chin and pulling him down into a kiss. "If you do I will never forgive you." He glanced at the shocked faces of the other men and women in the room. "Don't let anyone else leave either." He opened the door and was enveloped by the darkness in the hall beyond. Youji screamed his name, but Aya shook his head and commanded the door to shut behind him. He had a job to do. It may be scary to the others, but _they_ were the ones who felt that he should take these damn missions and he figured if he had to muck around with this psychic crap then they had to at least come along for the ride. He wasn't going to do this with anyone else.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Masako and Mai both screamed as Aya went out the door. As mean as the guy was, the evil out there was worse and he had just been sucked up by it. The door slammed shut and no matter what anyone did it wouldn't open. "Youji, I'm sorry, I always tease but I never realized you guys were-"

"Its okay Ken." The blonde man sighed. " _He's_ the one who didn't want to say anything-you know how he gets-and he said he didn't want there to be another reason for you guys to stare at him. Plus...never mind. He'd hate that I was saying anything."

"I never knew he had a heart." Ken frowned then turned to Omi, who'd elbowed him angrily.

"Of course he has a heart Ken." The teen snapped.

"He just hates you." Youji smirked.

"He hates everybody." Ken retorted.

"Not me." Youji grinned, then slid to the floor with his back to the wall, the smile fading. "If he doesn't walk back through that door..." He trailed off miserably. Omi went to him and got to his knees next to the older man, putting his arms around Youji's neck.

"Aya will be fine, he always is." He patted the taller man's shoulder. "Remember that time he fell down through the floor because Ken was being an idiot and not watching where he was going so he set off that trap. He fell six stories and didn't have a scratch when we found him." Youji nodded while Ken glared halfheartedly. "Then there was that other time that you pushed him off the roof on accident because he was being an ass. He lived through that too."

"You forgot the time you blew up that building without checking if he was out yet." Ken snorted. The teen blushed as Youji laughed.

"He was _pissed_." The blonde man chuckled.

"Yeah, but he didn't get hurt." Omi pouted.

"How is any of that possible?" Mai asked in wonder. "I would die if it happened to me."

"Anyone would." Kazuya said, voice soft but firm. "He shouldn't be alive."

"He has a shield." Masako said then explained when everyone looked at her in confusion. "Strong psychics have the ability to protect themselves from injury if they have had training, however," She paused. ""I believe that shield is what he put it around this room before he left." Youji, Ken and Omi's confusion turned into identical expressions of fear. "I can feel it surrounding the room. It is protecting us now and keeping anyone from leaving. He must take it back or die if any of us are going to leave."

"You're so helpful." Mai grumbled as the men went super pale. Youji looked as though he wanted to throw up.

"I am being honest." The teen celebrity replied with a sniff. Mai rolled her eyes, muttered under her breath, then went to try help comfort the Hayabusa group.

"Kazuya." Lin turned away from the monitors to look at her boss. "Look." Mai changed her mind and followed her boss over to the screens and gasped. A large spirit covered in blood hovered over a figure with red hair dressed all in black.

Aya leaped over a dark beam of light, stepped off the wall and grabbed onto the chandelier housing the spirit shooting at him. It shrieked and flew to the staircase at the other end of the ballroom. "Tch." Aya spat as he dropped to the floor. They were getting smarter, but he wasn't done yet. The next beam he slashed out of the air with his katana. Next he advanced on the ghost that was still screaming and shooting at him. Ghostly hands reaching through the floor grabbed onto his ankles holding him in place. He narrowed his eyes. Violet flames erupted all over his body burning both the hands and the spirits attached into ash.

He looked up to find the larger spirit reaching for his throat. Being only a few feet away made it easy for Aya to hit it with a wave of violet colored flame. "You're doomed." It whispered as it also burned. Aya cocked his head with a frown wondering how many times in his life he'd heard that exact phrase. He kicked the pile of ash it made with spite before turning on his heel and coming face to face with an even larger spirit.

"Doomed." A multitude of voices hissed from all around him. Then suddenly he was flying across the room . He crashed through two walls and a bookcase to land in front of the fireplace in a library. He spat blood out of his mouth. His lungs were filling quickly due to the broken ribs which had punctured them...well _that_ meant a trip to the hospital. Damn. Those three owed him big for agreeing to this shit. He grumbled under his breath as he got to his feet.

The monstrous conglomerate, he'd mistaken it for a single spirit at first, roared and came running at him. Aya dodged carefully than stabbed his now blazing katana into the creature's back. It screamed as all the spirits holding it together ignited before exploding. The force which sent Aya flying once again.

His right arm was impaled on a metal spike attached to the chandelier in the library. He hung there awkwardly for a moment trying to decide how to get down. All the feeling was leaving his impaled right arm and the katana slipped from his grasp. He caught it with his left hand then put it in his teeth and was reaching for the chandelier to lift himself off when something grabbed his ankle and began to pull. Fucking fabulous. He looked down to find two more creatures like the one he had just killed then he was ripped from the chandelier and sent crashing into another set of bookcases.

With his right arm now useless he used his left hand wrapped around the hilt of his katana to get to his feet. He contemplated the two monsters advancing on him then his surroundings. Did he fight them one handed and bleeding heavily or did he run? He wasn't scared, just practical. If he could get the bleeding to stop he could face them without worry. If he passed out they would kill him then the others; despite the protection he had left. That meant Youji was in danger.

Choice made he ran forward and used the closest monster's head as a step to get up to the balcony that was behind them then raced out the door he'd seen at the far end of the room. He could hear cries of frustration as he escaped through another set of doors that brought him into the hallway of the second floor. He ran to his right and shouldered his way into a bedroom. Perfect.

He set his katana down before easing off his coat and grabbing the sheet from the bed. Using his teeth and left hand he ripped off a few strips which he used to bind the gaping hole in his arm then tied it to his body. One less thing for the bastards to grab. As he picked his katana back up he noticed the camera aimed at him from one corner of the room. They were watching him. He sincerely hoped it wasn't set to record. All he needed were images of him battling a spirit getting leaked to the media. He rolled his eyes and sighed with irritation as a large tentacle wrapped around his waist and began pulling him towards the now broken door. The swordsman swung out his legs and planted his boots on either side of the door. This was getting ridiculous. His arm throbbed, it was getting difficult to breath, his head pounded, and the rest of his body just ached.

"I'm so fucking done." He growled slicing through the tentacle and coughed up more blood as he hit the floor. There was a shriek of pain. Aya struggled to his feet as the two legion spirits came up the hall. They just stood there screaming so he stepped forward. With a small flex of his will they both burst into violet flame. The swordsman shuddered as their souls came into contact with his. There was so many of them and the only problem he had come across with his new abilities was the fact that the flame absorbed whatever souls it touched, which meant that every spirit he killed didn't actually move on immediately. They went into him first before just disappearing. Whether they moved on he didn't know, but so many at once was painful.

He grabbed his head and leaned against the wall for a moment to collect himself then went in search of the controlling spirit. It was in the basement, which he found the stairs to in the library. Aya glanced at the rotten corpses surrounding it with a sigh. No wonder there were so many spirits there. He was able to kill it within a few seconds then started about searching the bodies for those that came from Kritiker.

One of the psychics that had been sent in was carrying a disc containing some files that Kritiker wanted back. He found their corpses with relative ease and fumbled awkwardly through their pockets until he found the what he was looking for. It was really too bad that the psychics were dead, but he didn't care all that much. The only reason he felt anything at all was because it meant that _he_ would have to pick up their slack. "Finally." He sighed stuffing it into his pocket. Now all he had to do was retrieve the three yahoos he'd left quivering with their new friends.

Mai watched Youji pace in front of the door. Every few seconds he'd try the handle. He'd started this routine twenty minutes before when Aya had disappeared from the video screens after going down a staircase hidden behind one of the bookshelves in the library. Masako had become utterly useless after the ghosts began to come out in mass and neither Ayako or Bou-san had any idea what was going on. She'd tried going to sleep to see if her dreams could give any clarity to the situation, but was unsuccessful. Kazuya and Lin were still watching the screen where they'd last seen Aya. Suddenly her boss stiffened. "There he is." Youji almost fell in his rush to get over there.

"Aya." He whispered. Mai walked over and watched him rest his katana on his shoulder then shake his head.

"Stupid." They heard him sigh before walking off camera. A few minutes later there was a violet flash then the door to their base opened and Aya walked in. The white sheet he'd used to bind the wound on his arm had turned red and he had a cut on his cheek that was caked with blood. Youji ran to him but stopped a foot away.

"Why the _fuck_ did you left your shield thing behind?" He snapped. "You kind of _need_ it."

""Shield" The redhead's brow furrowed.

"The purple fire thing."

"Oh." Aya sighed. "I guess you could call it that. I just didn't want anything getting in or out. I know you idiots." He flicked Youji's nose.

"She said it was a shield that kept you from getting hurt." Youji growled pointing at Masako. Aya shook his head with another sigh.

"The kid isn't as smart as she thinks she is."

"Only high level priests can create the seal you used without an incantation." Ayako snapped. "You aren't a priest so how did you learn that skill?"

" _I_ would like to know how he managed to purify the spirits all on his own." Bou-san added folding his arms. Aya shook his head.

"You misunderstand. I don't purify." He said quietly. "I reap." Suddenly he pitched forward falling into Youji who quickly scooped him up into his arms and held him tightly as Aya started coughing.

"Thanks for your help. We need to get him to a hospital." Youji walked out first carrying Aya who had gone limp. Ken followed after him while Omi brought up the rear. Mai looked at Kazuya in confusion. She knew they both had a lot of questions. As one they quickly followed the four men. When they finally caught up all they saw was a car with no plates speeding off down the road.


End file.
